I get a lot of E-mail from dragon
owners who are having problems with their dragons. These problems range from a
dragon not eating for a few days, to dragons that truly seems ill since they
are inactive, not eating, and not drinking. I'm also frequently asked questions
about how to set up the dragon properly, such as which substrate to use,
lighting, heating and diet questions.

Unfortunately I get so much mail
that at times I fall very far behind in answering it all. I realize your
questions are important, so I have made up this FAQ in the hopes that it will
address many of your questions and hopefully get you started in caring for your
dragon in the best way possible. :)

Once you have read this FAQ, please
feel free to write to me with more questions and I will try my best to answer
them for you. :) Please give me as many details about the dragon, it's
enclosure, the diet you are feeding it, and the general care you are giving
your dragon when you write.

This FAQ will discuss: Reasons why a
dragon may stop eating, diet; various ailments such as calcium deficiency,
respiratory infections, snout damage and mouthrot; enclosures; substrates;
heating; temperatures; lighting; humidity; UVB fluorescent lighting and direct
sunlight and it's importance; housing one dragon with another; or housing a
water dragon with other reptiles or amphibians; stress; taming, handling and
dragon proofing a room; water dragon socialization; and information about
salmonella.

Please, remember that if you are
concerned about your dragon and think that it might be ill please take it to a
qualified reptile vet. Do not wait for me to give you some kind of home remedy,
as ONCE A REPTILE ACTS ILL IT IS USUALLY VERY ILL AND THERE IS LITTLE TIME BUT
TO TAKE IT TO A VET! :(

Once
there, you will find listings for reptile vets across North America, several
European countries, and other international listings.

If you are in Canada you might want
to check out my Canadian reptile veterinarian page at http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/canrepvt.htm If you
know of a good Canadian reptile vet please send me the doctors name and other
information so I may add them to the list.

You might also want to check out the
Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV)
http://www.arav.org/ To see a listing of
veterinarians who are members of this association. There are listings for
Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the United
States.

The WATER DRAGON MAILING LIST is
also another good source of information that you might be interested in
joining. The mailing list is free! You can talk to over 250 people who own
water dragons and learn more about how to care for your animal.

The listserv will then send back a confirmation message, all
you have to do is REPLY as directed and ta da you will be on the list!

Please keep the welcome message
that you will receive when you join so that you can change your list options or
know how to get off the list when you decide that you've read enough about
water dragons. :)

You do not have to send me answers
to the following questions, but if you do write to me, and do not find
information that addresses the problem you are having in this FAQ please do
supply information that is asked for in this FAQ. :)

* 1. How big is your dragon (snout
to vent (base of tail), and snout to tip of tail)?

Sometimes gravid female dragons
stop eating in the last month or so before laying eggs. A female water dragon
with a snout to vent length of 6 " or longer, or total length of 18"+ inches
might be able to produce eggs. Females can and will develop eggs even if they
have never been near a male water dragon- the eggs just wont be fertile.

Whether male or female a dragon that
has stopped eating could be ill. Infections in the mouth (mouthrot) or snout
damage, systemic (blood) infections, gastrointestinal infections, internal
parasite, mite and tick infestations, respiratory infections, stress, injury,
and disorders such as Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism / Metabolic
bone disease often cause a decrease or total lack of appetite. Often the first
sign of illness, a decrease in appetite or an animal totally refusing to eat
should not be taken lightly and should be considered as a possible sign that
the animal is becoming ill. Please see my page "Common Ailments of water
dragons" http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/ailments.htm for more
information about the various illness that may affect your dragon.

Food items of the appropriate size
should be offered to your dragon. As a general rule the size of the food item
should be no longer than the length of the head, and no wider than half the
width of the head, and preferably about one third the width of the head.

INSECTS are fairly high in
phosphorus and low in calcium, but do have nutritious value if not fed in
abundance or as the soul diet. Most insects also have a hard indigestible
exoskeleton that could cause a bowel impaction if fed in large quantities. All
insects should be gut loaded with well balanced offerings of veggies and
perhaps even some calcium and vitamins before being offered to reptiles. (See
fruit and veggies below for some gut loading ideas)

Insects that are fairly easy to
purchase: crickets, mealworms (tenibrio), Super worms (tenibrio mealworms on
steroids- I don't recommend these!), King mealworms (zophobas), and wax worms
(very high in fat and very low in calcium- use only as a treat!), and
earthworms.

Insects that can occasionally be
found locally or may be purchased by mail order: butterworms, grasshoppers,
locusts, Hissing Roaches, cicadas, and silkworms ... (I'm sure there are many
others!)

NOTE: Wild caught insects, those
found in your yard or otherwise, may be contaminated with pesticides and
herbicides so I would advise you not to use these insects. Pesticides are
extremely toxic to reptiles! Some insect contain toxins that may make your
dragons very ill or kill them. The chemical in fireflies that makes them
"light-up" has killed a number of bearded dragons and likely other reptiles,
many caterpillars are also poisonous.

If you would like to keep and breed
your own insects to cut the cost of keeping your water dragon or other reptiles
please see:

WHOLE PREY food items are generally
high in calcium and protein, and due to the calcium content should be included
as part of the diet. Mader states in his Reptile Medicine and Surgery "
Carnivorous lizards should be fed pre-killed whole prey. Rodents are preferable
to chicks, and chicks are preferable to fish." he also goes to state " If mice,
rats, rodents, rabbits and chicks make up the bulk of the diet, vitamin and
mineral supplementation should not be necessary. It should be noted that
newborn pinkie mice have less total calcium than do adult mice, and a calcium
should be supplemented if these are used."

A selection of whole prey food items
would range from pinkie, fuzzie and adult mice, rat pups, some people have
offered gerbil fuzzies?, young chicks (Mader himself used to feed his dragons
chicks), and feeder fish such as minnows. Some people also offer small lizards
such as anoles to their dragons as a food source.

Some people offer their reptiles
live prey in the form of live pinkies, fuzzies, mice, rats etc. I've always
been against this practice because it seems inhumane, and because of the risk
of injury to the reptile being fed. It might be natural for the reptile to eat
live prey in the wild, but when they are living in the wild they are also not
confined to a small area perhaps with prey that they are not yet ready to eat.
Live prey will defend itself. Live prey may also decide to bite or prey on the
reptile if the animal is not interested in feeding and the rodent is left in
the cage unattended.

The April 1999 issue of Reptiles
Magazine, Veterinarian Q&A by Dr. Douglas Mader, M.S., D.V.M., D.A.B.V.P.
Page 18 states in reference to bites and injuries inflicted by rodents:

"Now for the first question. Why is
it that this is often a very serious and sometimes fatal wound? There are two
reasons. The first is that rodents carry a number of very infectious bacteria
on their teeth. Some of these bacteria are associated with rat-bite fever in
people. When these bacteria are inoculated into the skin from the bite wound,
certain types can produce a toxin that can be lethal to snakes. It doesn't take
long for these toxins to be produced, and that is why time is of the essence in
getting the snake to the veterinarian for treatment. Even if the offending
bacteria are killed with antibiotics, the antibiotics will not kill or remove
the toxin that the bacteria have produced. Any toxin that is produced will be
absorbed by the host animal. If the bitten animal is strong and healthy, and
only a small quantity of toxin has been produced, then there is a chance of
recovery."

"The second reason these wounds are
often fatal is due to the actual mechanical nature of the wounds themselves.
Rodents have a habit of gnawing when they eat. When they attack the predator,
they usually make their first bite over the backbone region and then continue
either toward the head or the tail of the snake with each successive bite.
These bite wounds will often puncture the spinal cord. If this happens, an
often fatal spinal meningitis will occur."

Mader is discussing the fatal wounds
on a correspondents' snake, but I'm 100% sure that the information he has
states applies equally well to live rodents being fed to lizards.

FRUIT AND VEGGIES: Some dragons will
eat fruit and veggies when it's offered, but many dragons will not take fruit
and veggies at all! Keepers that have success with this find fruit is
preferred. Unfortunately fruit tends to be very high in phosphorus and very low
in many other nutrients with the largest benefit being additional fluids and
vitamins.

Fruit that have good calcium content
include figs, raspberries, cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries ...
starting to slide now on the amount of calcium ... I think mangoes and papaya's
are ok too?

Veggies that have an adequate
calcium to phosphorus ratio: Greens such as collards, dandelion (flowers edible
too), and mustard greens. (Kale, spinach and other greens of this variety are
high in oxalates which bind to calcium making it unusable) leafy veggies of the
lettuce family have almost no nutrients thus are very low in value other than
for their water content. Yellow squash, sweet potato, parsnips, green beans,
and occasionally carrots ... Veggies such as broccoli contain oxalates and as
stated above that binds to calcium rendering it unusable.

Please NOTE that all of the well
balanced fruit and veggies listed above can be used when gut loading your
insects!

I believe a healthy diet would be a
combination of all of the above diet items, using as wide a variety of each
item as possible, in the ratio of:

Insects 40% - 50%

Earthworms 10% - 20%

Whole Prey 40% - 20%

Fruit & Veggies 10%

(If possible, otherwise increase % of whole prey)

Insects and earthworms should be gut
loaded, and dusted with calcium supplement approximately every second day,
dusted with vitamins once a week; It couldn't hurt to add some supplementation
to the fruit and veggies if the dragon is eating them; unless it's pinkies that
is being offered as the whole prey food item calcium supplementation shouldn't
have to be added to these food items.

NOTE: Improper diet, inadequate
heat, and or improper lighting can cause a reptile to not digest it's food
properly or not use the calcium and other nutrients in it's food properly.
Usually, a combination of all three of the above stated improperly performed
basic requirements WILL result in calcium deficiency. This is a very serious
ailment!

MBD is made up of a number of
disorders. One of the most common of these disorders is an improper balance of
calcium and phosphorus in the diet resulting in hyper or hypo calcemia. MBD can
affect the internal organs as well as the bones. When there is an imbalance of
calcium in the diet (hypocalcemia or hypercalcemia) bones become weak and
spongy. The affected bones will also enlarge, and have irregular outlines i.e.
bumps and swellings. These bones will deform easily and may also fracture
easily. As the calcium levels in the blood drop muscle tremors, tetany, and or
asthenia occur. When the calcium level becomes critically low death from
cardiac failure may occur.

Signs and Symptoms of MBD Signs of
metabolic bone disease include hard knobs in the long bones of the legs, bumps
along the vertebral column of the back and tail, softening or hard swelling of
the jaw, and softening of the plastron or carapace (for turtles and torts). All
of these signs may be felt before they can be seen, making a careful physical
exam important. Visible signs of moderate to severe MBD include jerky gait when
walking, tremors and twitches in the limbs and muscles of the legs and toes
when at rest, and shakiness when being held. Advanced cases of MBD include all
the above signs plus anorexia and fractured bones. Severely deficient reptiles
tend to be lethargic and may only be able to drag themselves along the ground.
Arboreal lizards spend all of their time on the ground as they lack the
strength to grip and climb.

In general you should be
supplementing the dragons diet with calcium supplements every couple of days,
and vitamins once a week. Food sources such as insects should be gut loaded
with nutritious food items, vitamins and calcium.

Many people use commercial calcium
products such as repcal as a calcium supplement, human calcium supplements may
also be used (grind them to powder in the coffee grinder!), commercial vitamin
supplements such as mineral-all and herptivite are also commonly used, again
human vitamin supplements (centrum) could also be used after being crushed to
powder.

The dragon could simply be tired of
that kind of food i.e. if you've been feeding it crickets for months it may
stop eating from sheer boredom with the diet- try offering other types of food
items and see if the dragon has any interest in something new. Remember, the
more variety that you can offer your dragon the better nutritionally and health
wise! *

Dragons can go for a while without
food, but they wont last long without water- If your dragon isn't drinking take
it to a reptile vet ASAP. Please see my Dehydration and fluid replacement page
http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/hydrate.htm

Check the dragons body over
carefully- look for bumps or swellings, check the snout for damage (could be
infected if he's been banging it on the glass enclosure), check inside the
mouth for reddened areas, swelling, white cheesy material (pus)... Check the
vent for swelling, redness, caked stool... check the whole body for anything
that you think might be abnormal.

The dragon might have an injured
area (snout comes to mind for some reason) that might now be infected- if it is
infected the infection might become systemic, if it does, or has, then your
dragon may experience appetite loss, become lethargic, his colour might change
as well i.e. brown... If you think the dragon has an infection, or if he hasn't
eaten for close to a week then you should definitely take him to a reptile vet
ASAP.

If the dragon has a swollen leg or
arm, is limping or protecting an area of it's body it could be injured and or
have a broken bone. Please take it to a reptile vet ASAP! Broken bones could be
the result of an accident but they could be a sign of calcium deficiency. If
you write to me about a swelling in a limb or limping dragon all I can do is
guess at the cause and all my answers will include a "take your dragon to the
vet ASAP". In other words, don't waste time writing to people on the Internet-
Go to the vet!

If your dragon is also lethargic
(inactive, dull eyes, sleeping ...) and or seems to be breathing with
difficulty such as keeping the mouth open, gaping, and or you can hear the
dragon trying to breath (gasping, wheezing, popping), and or has an excess of
mucous in the mouth and or nostril area- TAKE IT TO A VET RIGHT AWAY - as this
could be a respiratory infection!

Respiratory infections are usually
caused by inadequate heat, and by being kept under stressful conditions.
Reptiles often do a good job of not demonstrating obvious signs of
illness until a disease has progressed to the point that it cannot be easily
treated.

Signs and symptoms of respiratory
infections include reduced appetite, listlessness, swollen appearance of the
body, and as the infection progresses gaping followed by occasional forced
exhalations. If you suspect that your water dragon has a respiratory infection
he should be taken to the vet, who will probably place him on antibiotics, and
the cage temperature should be increased to 85 - 88 F around the clock until
the symptoms subside.

Whatever the cause, if your dragon
becomes inactive and lethargic take it to a vet right away as it is likely
suffering from a serious illness and there is no time to waste!

If your dragon is not eating it may
not pass any stool, but it is possible that your dragon has eaten something
that has lodged in it's digestive tract and cannot eat or pass stool because of
this.

If you are using a substrate such as
bark, gravel, loose bedding material i.e. shavings, moss, or Astroturf that has
not had it's edges bound or melted then it is quite possible that the dragon
might have accidentally ingested some of the substrate and become impacted.

Your dragon may have also eaten a
large quantity of insects that have a hard indigestible exoskeleton and this
may be blocking the bowels as well. :(

Most water dragons sold in pet shops
are wild caught or farm bred, and they are often infected with parasites.
Captive bred dragons could also have parasites if they have been housed with
untreated wild caught herps or if the same cleaning equipment or feeding
utensils are used for infected and un-infected herps in a collection.

If the dragon has a heavy load of
parasites he may lose his appetite and become ill- if you haven't had his stool
checked you should! Take a fresh sample (less than 24 hours) to the vet to be
checked.

Signs and symptoms of parasite
infection can be as simple as a decrease in appetite, to no appetite
(anorexia), to the more severe- frequent loose stools, very offensive smelling
stool, diarrhea, dehydration because of the diarrhea, and extreme lethargy.

Mite and tick infestation is a
common problem with water dragons, and other herps for that matter, that have
been kept in poor conditions during shipping, and while being kept in the pet
shop. When you bring your new dragon home there is a very high possibility that
it may in fact have some ticks and or mites on it. If ticks and mites are
allowed to flourish they can become quite difficult to eradicate, and may in
fact stress your dragon to the point of it's becoming ill, not to mention that
a very bad infestation of mites and ticks on your dragon could cause quite a
severe blood loss. Please see the Mite and Tick eradication Page for further
details. http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/mitetick.htm

Occasionally a water dragon may be
purchased whose skin is infected by a fungal or bacterial growth. Fungal and
bacterial infections are usually caused by being kept in too damp and enclosure
and living in a poorly cleaned cage where fungi and bacteria can grow and
spread in the warm moist conditions that they love.

The affected area's may have
darkened swollen scales that are discoloured. Two of my dragons had a fungal
infection when purchased and they had several dark brown swollen (almost
appeared fluid filled) scales on their underside and tails. The scales may be
lifted and or damaged in areas (Keep in mind that scale damage could also be
caused by mites, ticks and or crickets in the enclosure).

If you suspect that your dragon has
a fungal or bacterial infection you should take it to a qualified reptile vet
for diagnosis. The vet will likely give you an antibiotic or antifungal cream
to apply to the affected areas. Clean the enclosure thoroughly disinfecting
branches and the water container with a mild bleach solution. Replace the
substrate and any other cage furniture that is easily replaceable in order to
limit the spread of infection.

In conjunction with a topical
antibacterial or antifungal ointment the dragon may be bathed in 80-85F chest
deep water that has betadine (enough betadine to make the water a medium tea
colour) in it for a half an hour per day for a couple of weeks.

Darkening of, obvious damage to,
and loss of toes, spikes and the end of the tail can be the result of a number
of problems. Improper Shedding can result in the skin becoming stuck to a toe,
spike or the end of the tail. If the skin remains stuck onto the appendage
while the tissue below continues to grow the circulation to the area may become
decreased and lead to dry gangrene, infection, and death of the tissue. Please
see my Shedding page- http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/shedding.htm

Breaks from falls or becoming stuck
in tight areas can result in broken toes, or the end of the tail snapping off.
The end of the tail may also snap off if grabbed in an effort to keep the
struggling animal from getting away, or may even drop suddenly when the animal
is frightened by something (although this last is least likely to occur with
water dragons).

It is always wise to take your
reptile in for a visit to the vet if there has been an unexplained fracture of
the toe, foot or leg (for the animals sake!) because the break could be a sign
and symptom of a more serious ailment such as Metabolic bone disease (often
calcium deficiency).

If your reptile is suffering from
MBD it is best to catch it in the early stages before it becomes so serious as
to cause irreparable damage (bent crooked back, misaligned jaw!) or death.

An adult dragon 24 inches or greater
in size needs to have an enclosure that is at least 3 feet long (4 or more
preferred), 3 feet high (5 or more preferred), and 2.5 to 3 feet deep. If a
dragon is housed in an enclosure that is too small it will bang it's snout
frequently, damaging it, perhaps become stressed in the too small cage, and
possibly become ill.

Many people keep
their dragons in glass aquariums- unfortunately dragons don't seem to recognize
glass and end up repeatedly banging their snouts on the glass- if this
behaviour is allowed to continue then the dragon will likely get an infection
in it's snout. There are many dragons out there missing teeth and parts of
their jaw from this damaging behaviour. :(

If your dragon has a damaged snout
or seems to have a mouth infection please take it to a vet! It might need to be
put on antibiotics. Please see the "mouthrot/ Stomatitis" page
http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/mouthrot.htm for
more information about how to care for snout and mouth injuries.

Remember, once scales, or tissue is
rubbed off that damage is permanent! Prevent this from happening! If your
dragon is in a glass tank or mostly glass enclosure it would be a GOOD idea to
tape some paper or nice aquarium background paper all around the outside lower
6" of the cage. This will tell the dragon that there is a barrier there and
hopefully the snout rubbing will lessen. Planting plants all along the sides of
the glass may work as well. Also, adjust your basking lights so that they do
not cause too much reflection on the inside of the glass. If the dragon sees
its reflection it may think another dragon is invading it's territory and rub
and bump into the glass while it is trying to fight off the other dragon (the
reflection) and this too will cause snout damage. :(

Dragons that seem to do the best are
kept in fairly large enclosures, and enclosures that have 3 sides made out of a
wood or non see through material.

The water should be changed when
the dragon defecates in it- so at least once a day in most cases. You may set
your dragon up with a permanent pool that is filtered- but water will likely
still have to be changed every 5 to 7 days depending upon your filtration
system and the area of water available to the dragons.

Basking lights, ceramic heaters,
and human heating pads are all good sources of heat for your dragon. Heaters
can be set up on a dimmer or a thermostat to help regulate the temperature in
the enclosure. Lights can be set up on timers.

Day time temperatures should be
between 84 F and 88 F (28.8 C - 31.1 C), and night time temperatures should be
between 75 F and 80 F (23.8 C - 26.6 C) The cage should be set up so that one
side is cooler than the other i.e. one side is 84 F during the day and the
hotter side is 88 F during the day, with a basking spot that is up to 92 or 93
F.

Keeping your dragon at the proper
temps will aid in digestion of food items and nutrients such as vitamins and
minerals (CALCIUM!). IF the temperatures are inadequate the dragon could suffer
from various serious illnesses such as respiratory ailments and calcium
deficiency.

The humidity should be as much as
80%, but most people have trouble achieving such a high humidity, so I'd have
to say that if you can keep the humidity between 60% and 80% then you are doing
just fine. :) Misting once or twice a day, live potted plants or a substrate of
potting soil all help to keep the humidity up.

Kidney disease (renal failure) can
occur in reptiles that do not get enough water. Low humidity could further
these problems with water dragons. (Kidney disease can also result from
improper diet, improper digestion of nutrients in the diet (due to low heat or
improper lighting) and use of antibiotics (please make sure your reptile well
hydrated whenever antibiotics are used to treat it!)).

Substrates that seem to cause the
least problems with dragons seem to be astroturf with bound or melted edges so
that the tufts cant come off, sterilized potting soil, newspapers or paper
towels.

Substrates such as moss, shavings,
bark, and gravel all seem to cause impaction problems- whether the dragon
accidentally eats the substrate or eats some out of curiosity- if it is
ingested and gets lodged in the digestive tract. Some people are quite
successful keeping their dragons on these last mentioned substrates- but when I
hear about impaction problems these substrates are often listed as the culprit
so be warned.

NOTE: Substrates that are made of
pine or cedar (especially cedar) are toxic to most herps- don't use them!

If not you should be- or else you
should be getting him outside daily for some sunlight.

UVB light is important because it
helps the dragon produce the vitamin D2 in its skin, which in turn becomes
vitamin D3, which in turn helps the dragon use and digest the calcium in his
diet properly. If he doesn't have a UVB light or access to direct sunlight then
he could end up with a CALCIUM DEFICIENCY (MBD).

The UVB fluorescent tube should be
no more than 8 to 10 inches away from your dragon and there shouldn't be
glass or plexiglass between the dragon and the light as UVB rays do not
penetrate these materials well. If you use a screen lid over your dragons
enclosure you may place the UVB fluorescent tube over the screen material but
do keep in mind that up to 30% of the UVB rays are filtered out if fine screen
material is used. If you must set the light up in this manner please use a
larger holed screen material. UVB fluorescent tubes only produce UVB for
approximately 6 months- they will have to be replaced twice a year as a
result even though the tubes themselves will still produce light they will no
longer be outputting much if any UVB after a 6 month time period.

Exposure to direct unfiltered
sunlight is the best way to provide your dragon with UVB. Even as little as
once a week (with use of artificial UVB producing fluorescent tube lighting the
rest of the time) could make a HUGE difference in your dragons health. Getting
your dragon out in an outdoor cage, holding it securely in your hands while
outside, or simply opening a window so the dragon can bask in front of the
screen in the sunlight are all good ways to expose your dragon to some direct
sunlight.

Regular lighting and UVB lighting
can be hooked up to a timer so that they will only be on for 10 to 14 hours a
day depending upon the season. Lights should be out at night as water dragons
are diurnal (day time) lizards.

The dragon might be being
intimidated by another dragon or herp that you have in the enclosure.
Particularly if the other dragon is larger. Stress from house mates can cause a
dragon to stop eating and become very ill.

Please do not house water dragons of
different sizes together ... especially if there is a great size difference!
Adult water dragons have also been known to attack, injure and also eat young
water dragons (or other smaller reptiles!) housed in the same cage with them.
Please be careful!

IF you are housing to similarly
sized dragons in the same cage and one is not doing well or not eating please
try to separate them. If you cannot do this (and really you should because new
dragons should be housed separately for three months or so to make sure they
are doing well and that they do not have a disease that could be passed on to
your established dragon ...) please feed them separately. Perhaps feed the one
that is doing well first and then remove it from the cage while you attempt to
feed the dragon that is not doing as well. This often helps a great deal.

Housing a water dragon with other
herps is often a no no ... there are very few reptiles that have the exact same
environmental and diet needs as water dragons do ... not to mention that each
species of reptile or amphibian can have various parasites or other diseases
that they may be able to pass on to each other.

As a general rule it is best to
house reptiles and amphibians of different species separately.

New pets will often go through a
period of not eating, acting frightened or stressed when they first come into
the home. Give your pet a week or two to adjust. If your dragon hasn't eaten
for approx. a week and it's new to your home you may want to take it to the vet
for a check up to make sure that it is healthy though. :)

Actually you should take any new
reptile to a reptile vet for examination in the first week of owning it. This
will ensure a healthy start!

A short period of training and
taming may be in order when you get your dragon. Dragons are often wild caught,
and are usually skittish and stressed when they are first brought home, and may
run into the glass in an effort to get away from the huge human that they think
is going to eat them. :)

When you first bring your dragon
home, the best thing to do is to set up the tank or Large enclosure in a quite
area. Give the dragon a few days to adjust before stressing it out by trying to
handle it right away, and then, after it is less skittish at the sight of you,
you may gradually begin to hold it for short periods of time during the day.
Perhaps as little as 15 minutes once or twice a day for the first couple of
weeks, gradually increasing the amount of time spent handling the dragon each
day as it begins to trust you.

Eventually, as the dragon begins to
realize that you are not going to eat it and realizes that you are actually the
source of its food etc., then you can start to bring it out into a small room
(den or washroom) that is well heated and escape proof and let it roam around
while you are in the room with it. This will eventually build up trust and
bonding.

At first the dragon may hide under
furniture but if you just gently get him out from under the furniture and put
him back in the center of the room (not the tank right away) he or she will
eventually realize that it is safe to roam and that hiding and finding does not
mean going back to the cage immediately.

It may take a month or longer to
build up this trust with your dragon but if you do it everyday and always treat
the dragon well then it should calm down quite nicely. I believe most herps
need this period of adjustment, and, if they are handlable herps, period of
gradual handling.

**Note that in the first couple of
weeks that you have your dragon home with you he or she may not eat much, may
not eat for up to a week in fact, and may be quite skittish when you approach
the enclosure. Talk softly to your new dragon and do not rush into handling the
dragon daily if he or she is not eating. Moving into a new environment is very
stressful and the dragon should be allowed a period of time to adjust.

Keep in mind that your new dragon
could be ill, very stressed or improperly set up. Please read my Problems with
water dragons FAQ. http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/problems.htm This FAQ
will inform you of common problems that occur with water dragons - especially
in the first few weeks in a new home, and offers suggestions on how to solve
these problems. **

As long as the dragon is active in
the cage as opposed to lethargic, and appears to be using it's water area all
should be well. If the new dragon is lethargic, doesn't eat, doesn't bath or
drink then he or she may be ill and should be taken to a qualified reptile vet
right away. I always recommend a visit to the vet when someone purchases a new
dragon anyway.

Reptiles are very good at hiding
illness and usually do not act ill until they are almost too sick to help. If
your dragon shows any signs of illness do not hesitate to take it to a
qualified reptile vet- you may not have much time to help your dragon!

Some water dragons like being held
more than others. Most do not enjoy the two hand hold, they much prefer to rest
on your hand, arm, shoulder, head, lap.... whatever, just so long as it's not
being restrained by two hands! Several dragon owners have mentioned that their
dragons sit on there shoulders etc. for hours at a time, and are quite docile
and handlable.

Talk to your dragon softly before
attempting to pick him up- this is very important in the beginning. Gently
place one hand over his body, placing one index finger over the shoulder, and
have your thumb wrap around the underside of the opposite arm- this is hard to
put into words so I hope you understand my meaning. By placing your index
finger and thumb in such a manner you will effectively be able to restrain your
dragon if he struggles as you will be blocking both of his arms with your
fingers. Place your other hand under the dragons belly to give him a sense of
support and slowly lift the dragon out of the enclosure or from where ever he
happens to be at the time.

If the dragon struggles restrain him
gently- do not squeeze him in order to stop the struggling as you will likely
injure him.

By holding your dragon in this
manner you will be giving him support when being lifted, and if the dragon does
decide to struggle you already have one hand ready to restrain his upper body
and the hand supporting his underside can be used to gently restrain his lower
body.

Once you have picked up your dragon
and he or she appears calm you can remove the hand that is holding his upper
body. The dragon will still be resting on your other hand or arm by this time
and if the dragon is calm he will likely stay there for you or climb up to a
more desirable perch such as your shoulder.

Never pick your dragon, or any other
lizard, up by the tail. :( Most lizards have tails that will simply break off
when frightened or threatened by a predator, and picking up a struggling lizard
by the tail is one sure way to have it either drop it's tail or to have the
tail break off. :(

I don't even want to mention this
here because I can see a lot of you going over and picking up your dragon and
trying it just to see if it's true....... Do not hold your dragon upside down
or turn it over so that it is on it's back!

Many people have written to me and
told me about the cute thing their dragon would do when they turned it over on
it's back or held it upside down- it would go to sleep.

I hate to tell you folks but your
dragon is not going to sleep. It's having difficulty breathing and could
suffocate if kept in that position for a period of time. :(

Lizards do not have diaphragms to
help them breath. Their ribs moving in and out actually cause their lungs to
inflate and deflate. When a dragon is held upside down or on their back their
stomach pushes on their lungs making it difficult for them to breath and will
eventually result in suffocation. Please do not do this to your dragon.

Dragon proofing a room is quite
easy to do. It is preferable that the room have a door that can be closed to
keep other pets and people out of the room, and to prevent the animal from
escaping into other areas of the house. If the door has a gape under it that
might be large enough for your dragon to slip through please place a towel or
blanket at the foot of the door.

If the room contains heavy furniture
that may be difficult to move should the dragon crawl under it- or if the
furniture is so heavy that it might injure the dragon when you move it to
retrieve him or her, please block off access to that piece of furniture as well
by placing a towel at the foot of it.

If you happen to have any holes or
cracks in the walls, radiators or water heaters that can possibly be climbed
into- please block off access to those areas as well.

It might be a wise idea to place
tape over the openings of power outlets and cords with unused sockets.

Take a good look around the room and
try to think of where your dragon might hide if it got loose or were to run
away from you. Is that area a place that you can easily rescue your dragon
from? Look both high and low as frightened dragons will take off fast and may
seek out a low refuge under some furniture, usually where it is dark and cool
for some reason, or it may climb a curtain or something and try to go to the
highest area in the room.

Make sure their are no toxic plants,
or objects that could easily fall over and hurt your dragon if he or she were
to run into them.

Likewise make sure that you don't
have valuable irreplaceable items in an area that a dragon may knock them over
and damage them.

If you plan to take your dragon out
and let it roam around one room on a regular basis you might think about
purchasing a tree for your dragon to climb on. I have two hibiscus trees in my
living room that my dragons just love to climb after spending some time
exploring the room.

If your dragon is going to be out
for several hours at a time then you must make sure that the room temperature
is more than adequate. If you need to, please purchase a portable room heater
(electric or oil) and use it to heat the room to at least 80F while the
dragon(s) is out and about.

My dragons are basically out when
ever we are home. So I have placed two heating pads, set on low, in different
areas of the room for them to use to heat themselves. I also heat the room
using a portable electric heater.

In addition, you might think of
placing some basking lights and one or two UVB fluorescent tube lights in the
areas that the dragons like to be in most often. Remember- if you are letting
them out for several hours they are not getting the UVB lighting that they
would be getting inside their home, and they really need this, so please think
about setting up some special lighting for them.

Several people have been quite
successful keeping one male and one to four females together in large
enclosures. The enclosure would have to be very large if it were to be
inhabited by two males and some females, as males tend to not get along and
will fight viciously.

Water dragons seem to develop a
hierarchy, that is, there is often an alpha male, and an alpha female, the
other dragons are all subordinates whether they are male or female.

Superiority is achieved by arm
waving, head bobbing, and chasing in each sex. The alpha dragon will often wave
one arm, then bob it's head, and if the subordinate dragon has not appeased the
alpha dragon by either running away, or lying down, head and body touching the
ground in a submissive position, then the alpha dragon will often charge the
subordinate and culminate the attack by resting it's head on the subordinate or
beta dragons back.

If there is only a male and female
dragon in the enclosure the male is often alpha and the female is beta, but
there are cases where the hierarchy has been reversed. If two females are kept,
one would be the alpha and the other would be the subordinate beta dragon.
There is always a boss!

Sometimes water dragons will bob and
wave at their human keepers, and they will also puff up their throats, and
stand so that their body is off the ground in a defensive posture. For the most
part this is just for show.

As well as the arm waving, bobbing
and chasing I have observed aggressive licking! :) My female Rogue got her
name, which means mischievous and scoundrel, because of this behaviour. Night
had very bad snout damage and was sickly when I first got her- so Rogue was the
boss! She would run up to Night and head butt her and then give her a quick
lick with her tongue. She would move away, or assume a submissive pose and
Rogue would charge her again and do the head butt and lick once more. This went
on for a few weeks until Night recovered from her infection. Then she started
waving, bobbing, chasing and licking her back for the first time.

Be aware that aggression from a
larger dragon or the alpha dragon could stress the other dragon out if you are
housing more than one dragon, and cause the second dragon to stop eating and
perhaps become ill. If you see any of the behaviour mentioned above please keep
a close eye on the dragon that might be being picked on!

Females will occasionally chase each
other and tumble around together. I would assume that the females are fighting
over territory, or the beta is fighting the alpha in order to achieve
superiority.

When my two younger female dragons
Puff and Forrest were juveniles, and were put in the large vivarium together,
or got too close to each others territory on the couch or tree, they would puff
up their throats, open their mouths, hiss, and run at each other. While they
were doing this they would circle each other, head butting one an other with
their open mouths (note they did not bite each other- they just threatened to).
I have observed Puff and Forrest also tucking one of their back legs under
their bodies while they fought. The fight would generally end when one of the
dragons ran away from the other. Other people that I have spoken with have also
observed similar behaviour. Now when they fight they DO bite each other and I
must keep them separated. :(

Almost all animals- reptiles and
mammals can carry salmonella bacteria. It is something that all pet owners
should be aware of- not just reptile keepers!

While many reptiles do carry one
form or another of salmonella please keep in mind that if you take proper
precautions the chances of a healthy adult becoming ill with salmonella from a
reptile will be very low. It would be much easier to get a salmonella infection
from poorly cooked or prepared eggs or chicken.

There are over 2000 strains of
salmonella bacteria. Many of these strains are species specific and cannot
cross over from one species to another.

Many of these strains do not cause
symptoms in their host but may make another species quite ill if the bacteria
is one of those that is able to infect another species.

Of the strains of bacteria that can
cross over from an animal to a human, many will cause no noticeable illness, or
will perhaps make the person feel slightly ill and they may only think that
they have a mild form of the flu. Other strains can make humans quite ill with
severe flu like symptoms. Please see the Salmonella
article for more information

You should wash your hands between
handling each animal- at least ones housed separately so if they are
contaminated with salmonella or have any other contagious health problems you
are not passing it on from one reptile/animal to another...

Keeping cages clean etc. will not
prevent your animals from getting salmonella... in studies that have been done
it's been shown that over 50% of the animals carry one or more strains of
salmonella... so it's best to just assume that your herps, cat, dog, mouse,
gerbil or rabbit all have salmonella and take proper precautions.

Salmonella bacteria can infect the
eggs too as they pass through the females cloaca, so even captive bred animals
could be infected with salmonella. :( (why do you think 90% of the chicken eggs
sold for human consumption are infected by salmonella?)

Wash your hands in warm water,
soaping well and scrubbing the skin and under the nails after handling any
animal, their enclosures or utensils/dishes you for their care; or preparing
chicken or eggs. You may use an antibacterial soap, but do keep in mind that
many bacteria's are becoming resistant to antibiotics and antibacterial soaps
may actually contribute to the problem and make a bacteria become resistant to
some forms of antibiotics.

Keep the cages very clean- removing
any feces as soon as you see them, and keep their water clean... disinfect the
cages, water bowls and their food dishes with either a mild bleach and water
solution, a quatricide compound or Novasolon.. and if your herps are allowed to
free roam don't allow them in areas used for human food consumption or
preparation i.e. the kitchen, don't wash their things in the kitchen sink
either- use the tub or a utility sink and bleach it all when you are done...

And most importantly... do not allow
infants, or young children (up to the age of 8 or so), the elderly, or
immunosupressed (cancer, hiv) individuals to handle your animals or preferable
even go into a room that reptiles are allowed to free roam in. There are some
very virulent forms of salmonella, and salmonella in general seems to affect
all of the above types of people in a much more serious manner than say a
generally healthy adult.

** The salmonella bacteria can live
outside of the host for quite a long time. In some studies it's been shown to
live on formites (contaminated inanimate objects i.e. your couch..) for several
months. In one study some researchers tested an old snake skin shed that had
been hanging on a wall for years and it had viable salmonella bacteria on
it!!!! So those of us with free roaming reptiles are particularly vulnerable to
contamination, and any visitors we may have are also susceptible too.**

I do not recommend letting any
reptile free roam in the kitchen or areas frequently used by humans. Many
reptiles (and other pets!) have one strain or another of salmonella- nothing we
can do about it- it's part of them ... it's all around us really!

Salmonella bacteria is usually shed
in the animals feces and sometimes their saliva ... so if you have a water
dragon or ig walking around licking things and dragging it's body all over
stuff you have potentially contaminate a large area of your home.

Your reptiles may or may not have
salmonella- it's very hard to tell They shed the bacteria in their stool-
sometimes but not always. So you can have the stool tested for salmonella and
find out it's negative, then a few months later you can have it tested again
and get a positive result. Treating the reptile for salmonella is out of the
question. First- you'd have to know exactly what strain your animal has, and
then use the proper antibiotic to kill that bacteria. Too many animals have
been treated with broad spectrum antibiotics to kill bacteria such as
salmonella without finding out what antibiotic works best on that strain, and
this only serves to make the bacteria resistant to that antibiotic if the
bacteria isn't wiped out, creating a more virulent or harder to fight strain of
bacteria.

So, in general it's best to think of
all reptiles and animals as carrying salmonella and to use proper precautions
such as good hand washing techniques, and using a bleach and water solution to
clean surfaces they come in contact with, their enclosures, their dishes, and
their water containers, and not to clean their things in the kitchen sink
either! Clean their things in an area not used by humans and use bleach to
clean the sink or tub that you used for their stuff.

This book is a guide for owners of
reptiles and amphibians who feed insects and other live foods to their pets.
Advice is offered for selecting , ordering and raising your own supply of live
invertebrate foods. More than a dozen species of live foods are discussed. The
book includes instructions on keeping cultures of insects, and recipes &
diets for insects.